Katharine Murray Lyell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katharine Murray Lyell
|
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Katharine Murray Horner
1817 |
| Died | 1915 |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | K.M. Lyell |
| Spouse(s) | Henry Lyell |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
Katharine Murray Lyell (born 1817, died 1915) was a British scientist who studied plants. She was especially known for her work on ferns. Katharine also wrote an important book about where different ferns grow around the world. She helped publish the letters and writings of famous scientists from her time.
About Katharine Lyell
Katharine Murray Horner was one of six daughters. Her father, Leonard Horner, was a Scottish merchant and a geologist. He made sure his daughters received a good education. He even took them to meetings of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
Katharine's older sister, Mary, was also a scientist. Mary studied geology and shells. She married a geologist named Charles Lyell. Later, Katharine Horner married Charles Lyell's younger brother, Henry. Their oldest son, Leonard, later became a member of Parliament.
Her Work with Plants
As a botanist, Katharine Lyell focused on studying ferns. In 1870, she published a book about where different ferns are found across the globe. In her book, she mentioned that she used some ideas from William Jackson Hooker's unfinished fern book. However, Katharine's book was special. It was the first to organize ferns by their geography, not just by their scientific names.
She traveled to India with her husband, Henry. There, she collected plants in places like the Ganges delta. Katharine also wrote letters to famous scientists of her time. These included Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin. She also corresponded with Harriette Colenso, a missionary who collected ferns for her.
Katharine's collection of ferns is now kept in two places. Some are at Kew Gardens, and others are at The University of Reading Herbarium. Her other plant collections went to the British Museum.
Editing Scientific Letters
Katharine Lyell also worked as an editor. She put together books of letters and memories from three important scientists. When her brother-in-law Charles Lyell passed away in 1875, she gathered his life story, letters, and journals. She published them in a two-volume set.
About ten years later, after her father died, she edited two volumes of his letters. She also edited the life and letters of another brother-in-law, Charles Bunbury. He was a well-known paleobotanist, a scientist who studies ancient plants. Scholars still use all these books today when they research that time period.
